COUNCILLORS will this evening (February 14) make a decision over plans to build 142 houses on greenfield land near the historical Newton Common Racecourse site in Newton-le-Willows.

The planning committee, which is meeting at 5.30pm at the town hall, has been advised by planning officers to give the development - on land west of Common Road - the go-ahead, despite some opposition.

The 4.87 hectare site - which is located around 1km from Earlestown town centre - is a greenfield site allocated for development under St Helens' existing Unitary Development Plan.

This is not connected to the draft local plan which proposes building housing on brownfield sites and possibly releasing green belt land in the borough to accommodate further new homes.

Taylor Wimpey's application seeks full planning permission for the dwellings, which would vary between detached and semi-detached, and two and two-and-a-half storey.

The development plans include areas of open space towards the centre and south of the site, and there would be two vehicular access roads - from Swan Road and Short Street, providing access onto Common Road.

Fourteen letters opposing the development have been received by the council, with increased traffic congestion, impact of the construction, impact on residents' privacy, loss of view, loss of the Newton Common Racecourse site, impact on wildlife and the strain on local services such as schools, dentist and GPs.

However, the council is recommending that councillors approve this application subject to conditions.

A planning report states: "The application site is an allocated housing site within the St Helens Unitary Development Plan and the principle of a residential development on the site is therefore acceptable', adding "in the context of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) and the lack of a five-year housing land supply, the provision of 142 dwellings on the site should be given weight in favour of the proposed development".

Conditions include new developments being 'sympathetic to surrounding land uses and occupiers' and maintaining 'the overall character and appearance of the local environment with regard to siting, layout, massing, scale, design, materials, building to plot ratio and landscaping'.

Construction works would take place from 8am to 6pm from Monday to Friday, 8am to 1pm on Saturdays and no work on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

Bids for large-scale housing developments at the site were refused in 2002 and 2003.